DV Project Report 2002-2003

 

Workers during the year

Shahana Rasool Bassadien	Domestic Violence Policy Officer (June 2002 - January 2003)
Jayantha Alwishewa	Domestic Violence Project Officer
Violeta Craney	Domestic Violence Project OfficerNovember 2002 - July 2003
Monica Mazzone	Domestic Violence Policy Officer (from March 2002)

Overview of the year

This was yet another busy year for the Domestic Violence (DV) team. As the political climate remains antagonistic to migrants and refugees, the team had to stretch to respond to the needs of migrant and refugee women in domestic violence in a context of diminishing resources and entitlements for Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) women. In particular, the number of women seeking assistance with applications for Permanent Residence using the DV Provision of the Migration Regulations has increased and takes considerable resources, as have enquiries on general immigration issues. While individual migrant and refugee women and children were supported through casework, we also tried to improve conditions for all through policy and advocacy work. The team also continued its work in educating the larger community about the issues faced by migrant and refugee women in domestic violence and by providing specific training for service providers.

Below are some of the highlights of the DV team work for the year.

Policy and Advocacy

• Submission to extend the Domestic Violence Provision (DVP) of the Migration Regulations to Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) holders
  Speakout submission to Department of Immigration & Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) suggests extending the Domestic Violence Provision to Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) holders experiencing Domestic Violence (DV). The submission was made as concerns arose in the Family Violence In Newly Arrived Refugee Families Consultation that women TPV holders experiencing DV are compelled to put up with the violence and remain in an abusive relationship, rather than risk being returned to the country from which they escaped. Speakout recommends that the Domestic Violence Provision be extended so that secondary Temporary Protection Visa Holders be allowed to apply for Permanent Residence, if experiencing Domestic Violence at the hand of the primary TPV holder. Or at the very least, that women on TPV who leave their partners due to domestic violence are still assessed on the status of the principal applicant. Up to date no response has been received.
  
  
• Welfare Reform
  The DV Project prepared a submission, which was lodged with the Department of Family and Community Services (DFACS), on the proposed Reform of Welfare Support for Working Age Australians. Speakout argued for the elimination of the 2-year waiting period, the extension of full welfare benefits to TPV holders and for changes to rates and conditions of payments that would take into account the barriers immigrant and refugee women face as well as their contribution to the community. The submission also argues for an increased Crisis payment for women escaping DV and for exempting them from participation requirements until urgent issues have been resolved.
  
  
• Interpreter campaign
  Speakout together with the Refuge Movement has started collecting detailed information on the use of interpreters in Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) funded services, in view of fee-free services being drastically cut. Data will be collected in 6 months and used for a campaign to retain fee-free service or in the worst-case scenario for lobbying for adequate funding for interpreting costs from funding bodies.
  
  
• 60 minutes (TV Documentary program) response
  Speakout has been very vocal in responding to "Russian Roulette" a segment of 60 minutes that implied that women abuse the Domestic Violence Provision to obtain Permanent Residence, and has coordinated a response by 4 Migrant Women peaks in Australia. The issue is currently with the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA).
  
  
• Pre Election Forum
  The Pre-election Forum has been one of the venues wherein migrant and refugee women were able to share their experiences with future political representatives. With the election only weeks away, it was crucial that politicians heard the experiences and concerns of migrant and refugee women in our community. There was a question time where the participants asked the political representatives for answers to issues that have failed to be addressed by previous policy makers. The intention was to make them accountable in the election as an integral part of our Australian democratic system. Migrant and refugee women shared their personal stories about:
  - domestic violence
  - Muslim women and safety
  - difficulties in settling into the Australian community
  
  
• Family Law Consultation
  Organised the consultation with Family Court of Australia on issues for DV survivors going through the Family Court. We co-convened the consultation focusing on the needs of immigrant and refugee women of NESB.

Case Work

Speakout has assisted women from a number of backgrounds and facing a range of complex issues.

Number of cases
During the year the team supported 74 women by providing on-going casework, counselling and support in domestic violence situations. Of these, 52 women or 70%, required assistance with the DV provision. A total of 187 face-to-face interviews and 297 telephone sessions were conducted.

Casual and one off sessions
290 casual or one off sessions were conducted either by phone or face to face, including referral and information to service providers

Referrals
The clients were referred to us by: the DV Line-DoCS, local courts, police, Training and Further Education (TAFE), Centrelink and self-referrals, migrant resource centres and legal centres. Referral were made to: Women's refugees, Immigration Advice and Rights Centres, Refugee Advice Casework Service and community legal centres, service delivery agencies and organisations and ethnic organisations.

Casework Support included

• DV Crisis and ongoing counselling
• Court support
• Assistance in accessing the DV Provision
• Support letters for clients sent to government and non-government organisations
• Mandatory report to the Department of Community Services
• Advocacy and referrals
• Assistance with Housing issues
• Assistance with income support

Issues identified from casework

• NESB women facing all forms of abuse (verbal, cultural, physical, emotional, social, financial and sexual abuse)
• A reluctance by service providers to provide competent person statutory declarations to support applications to gain access to DV Provision
• Lack of information among services providers regarding process of application for permanent residency for women on Temporary Spouse Visas.
• Difficulty in obtaining Apprehended Violence Orders experienced by NESB migrant and refugee women due to lack of knowledge on how the Australian legal system operates. In contrast there are Australian male-sponsors who abuse the Australian legal system and successfully apply for an AVO against the DV victim.
• Lack of cross-cultural understanding and communication among some male and female police officers when they deal with NESB women facing DV.
• No access to income support for DV victims on temporary visas and bridging visas.
• Racial prejudice experienced when DV clients attempted to access services.
• Issues with Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) onsite interpreters. In particular, the gender of interpreters is an issue when DV clients disclose sensitive matters.
• Lack of translated material regarding DV especially in new emerging communities languages.

Main issues for Casual/One off Clients:

• General DV information
• Financial issues
• Legal issues and AVO information
• DV Provision information
• Immigration issues and information
• Housing
• Divorce and Family law issues
• Ethno specific services and counsellors
• Support groups
• Difficulties experienced by NESB women when in women's refuges because of cultural values that clash with Western values
• Lack of sensitivity and appropriate cultural support from some police and court support workers
• Lack of awareness of Domestic Violence Provision (DVP) by some designated "competent persons" under the legislation.
• Family matters and relationship issues

Community Development Work

• Radio interview by Radio Adelaide about cross-cultural issues in DV work. The interview will be used for training tapes for DV frontline workers, commissioned by Relationships Australia
• The DV NESB Network has been re-established
• Court Support at Parramatta and Liverpool local Court (Monthly).
• Organisation of the Pre-election Migrant and Refugee Forum on the 6h of March.
• Input into NESB Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association's Report to the Law Reform Commission
• Prepared a Sri Lankan Directory for DIMIA

Key Networks and Committees

• NCOSS SAAP Peaks
• Apprehended Violence and Legal Issues Coordinating Committee
• Fairfield Immigrant and Refugee Women's Network
• Violence Against Women (VAW) Regional Reference Group, Western Sydney
• Parramatta and Holroyd Domestic Violence Committee
• Western Sydney SAAP Services · Migrant Advisory Committee
• DOH / ECC
• DOCS DV Forum
• Canterbury DV Committee
• Women's Peak Meeting Department for Women
• Parramatta and Holroyd Multicultural Network
• Central Coast Rural Domestic Violence Committee
• Outer West DV Committee

Short Term Steering Committees and Working Parties

• Family Violence in Newly-arrived Refugee Families
• Trafficking Working Party · Review of Stop DV Day
• Participation in the Western Sydney Regional Reference Group 'International Day for the Elimination of Violence' against women
• Elimination violence against women Working Party

Information Stalls

• Speakout Information Stall at Lidcombe-Asian Women at Work Forum
• Stop DV Day, 24th of April, Parramatta
• International Women's Day 8th of March, Parramatta
• Macquarie Community College Open Day

Conferences/seminar and Forums presentations

• Participation on panel of the Women's Domestic Violence Court Assistance Program Annual Conference: "Domestic Violence is a Child Protection Issue: Government and Community Responses".
• Presentation at Auburn Local DV Committee on Cross Cultural Issues in DV
• Forum: Not Just Ramps or Multilingual Posters Women from NESB with Disability/Carers experiencing Violence, 17th July 2003, Westmead Hospital Joint project (Speakout, Multicultural Disability Advocacy Service and Western Sydney Regional Violence Prevention Specialist)
• DV Presentation at the DV Western Sydney Regional Group
• Presentation at the Western New South Wales Regional Domestic Violence Conference on "NESB Women Immigration Issues and Domestic Violence", Griffith, September 2002
• Guest Speaker at Jean's Place AGM on 'NESB Women - Domestic Violence- Immigration Issues and working together"

Training provided

• DVP training for St George DV Committee on 10/07/02
• DVP Training for Thai Welfare Organisation on 18/08/02
• DVP Training for St George DV Committee on 19/09/02
• DVP Training for Community Workers on 24/10/02
• Domestic Violence and Cross Cultural Issues for Domestic Violence Line Staff on 7/02/02
• Domestic Violence- Experiences of working with Sri Lankan Women experienced Domestic Violence: Issues for Singhalese Community on 2/03/03
• Domestic Violence in Refugee Communities, introduction to Australia for Asylum Seekers organized by Asylum Seekers Centreon 11/03/03
• Cross Cultural and DV Provision Training in Orange 20/03/03 Co trained with Cris Darby, Assistant Manager, DIMIA, Parramatta
• DV Provision for Court Support Workers on 27/03/03 (Co-trainer: April Pham)
• Cross Cultural and DV Provision sponsored by the Campbelltown Health Service on 02/04/03
• DV Provision of the Migration Regulations Training, Central Coast on 03/04/03

Training, forums and conferences attended

• Impact 21 Innovative Models day, Sydney, 27/05/03
• Attended WDVCAS Training
• STOP DV DAY, Sydney
• Cross Cultural DV training, Lidcombe 10/12/02
• Best Practices in DV Seminar, Bankstown, 09/04/03
• Family Law for Community Welfare 1 Day training, 01/04/03
• Child Protection Forum, Rooty Hills, 08/05/03
• Workshops Series-on Law for Community Welfare Workers at Marrickville Legal Centre on the 30/04/03 until 25/06/03
• Parramatta ACL Open day
• Parramatta Centrelink 5th Anniversary Celebrations
• Family Law Consultation
• Consultation at Department for Women on "Diverse Communities - Improving Women's Safety "
• DV and Family Forum held in Blacktown
• NESB Housing Forum
• Parramatta Domestic Violence Conference conducted by Parramatta community Health Centre.
• Refugee Health Forum at Holroyd City Council-Merrylands
• Refugee Reflection Day organised by STARTTS